As a writer I love words and language. I like the force of words, how they echo in the mind long after they’ve registered. I never take for granted how powerful words can be, so when people pervert language to delude and mislead, I know stupid things can happen.

There is one long trail of stupid running behind Republican pollster Frank Luntz, aptly described as the godfather of the conservative spin machine.… [Read more]

I really hate to second-hand my information, but sometimes that’s what it comes down to. When I’m racking my brain trying to figure out what to write about each week, and I’ve started to exhaust personal experiences that would be relevant, I have to resort to hitting the search engine. It feels like a cop-out to write about what’s already been written, to just filter other peoples’ research through my vocabulary, but it’s also an exercise in accepting my limitations.… [Read more]

Latin America is a huge region spanning much of the Americas. Its topography, geography and peoples are among the most diverse in the world. Its people, though, by far are its greatest asset with their wonderful music, literature and arts, their lavish hospitality and their incredibly rich languages.